The Mad Witch's Ib
by EllenandViola
Summary: And just saying, this isn't just a crossover of "The Witch's House" and "Mad Father". It's also got Ib stuff, and later on Misao and Yume Nikki. I DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE, I think you know that, though. ALSO, THERE MIGHT BE A FEW SPOILERS. And the black cat might be appearing as well ;). And this is rated T 'cause of a room they find later on that kids might not...like? Idk.
1. The World of Guertena

Mad Father Ib The Witch's House (The Mad Witch's Ib) crossover  
Aya Drevis was sitting in her room, reading a book. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. She ran downstairs to the entrance hall to open the door, but her mother was already there.  
"Oh," Monika Drevis exclaimed. "The painting I ordered! Thank you!" She took the large painting from the man standing by the door and carried it inside.  
"Mom, what is that?" Aya asked.  
"It's a painting by the artist, Guertena."  
"Cool!" Said Aya happily.  
She went back to her room and sat down on her bed. She felt as if there were something wrong with the painting, something was slightly unsettling about it.  
It's probably nothing. She told herself. After a while, though, she began to get curious, so she quietly tip-toed into her parents' bedroom. The painting was hung up on the left side of the room, next to a wardrobe and a bookshelf. Aya felt drawn to it, as if there were a magnet inside of it.  
"Stop!"  
Aya whipped around. A girl with brown and red eyes was standing in the doorway.  
"Wh...who are you?" Aya stuttered, backing against the painting.  
"No! Don't do that! You'll..."  
Aya suddenly toppled backwards into the painting. She opened her mouth to let out a scream, but nothing happened. She knew she was falling, but it felt more like something, or someone was dragging her down.  
She landed with a sickening thud in a pure white room.  
As Aya slowly got to her feet, she noticed a vase with three flowers inside it. She didn't see what colour they were though, because someone had just landed on her.  
"Sorry!" It was the strange girl from the bedroom. "I had to come after you."  
"Who are you?" Aya sat up, rubbing her head.  
The strange girl ignored her and stood up, as if nothing had happened and walked over to the vase.  
Aya could now see that the flowers were roses; one was dark blue, the other red and another was green.  
"You'll need this." The girl handed Aya the blue rose. It seemed to glow softly in her hand.  
"Who are you?" Aya repeated, this time more strongly.  
The girl turned to face her, holding the red and green roses. "My name is Ib. I've been here before."  
Aya nodded, and stood up. Then what are these roses for?  
As if she had read Aya's mind, Ib answered the unspoken question.  
"That rose is your life. If all of the petals fall off, you will die. It's the same with these two," Ib frowned at the green rose. "obviously someone else is here. A petal has already fallen off this one."  
"Someone's hurt?" Aya stared around the room, looking for a way out.  
_There's no way out._  
Aya gasped. A voice had just sounded in her head.  
"So you heard it too?" Ib looked scared. "I know exactly who that is."  
"Who? Can we kill them?"  
Ib shook her head. "No, she's not evil."  
"She? You mean someone who was trapped in this painting like us?"  
"No. She is part of the world of Guertena." Ib said.  
"So how are we going to get out?" Aya started panicking.  
"Don't worry, I know the way." Ib pushed on a seemingly random part of the wall. It fell away, leaving a pitch-black passageway.  
Aya stepped forward cautiously, but Ib held her back.  
"I can hear something." She whispered.  
Aya listened hard. She heard sobbing. It sounded like a girl.  
"She's not far away, let's go!" Ib rushed down the hallway, but Aya yelled after her.  
"Stop! We don't know what's down there! It could be anything!" Aya shouted at Ib.  
Ib turned to face Aya. Just as she opened her mouth to say something, a hand reached out of the wall and grabbed her.  
"Ib!" Aya screamed, rushing over to the wall and pounding it repeatedly.  
"You can't get in."  
Aya turned around slowly. A girl with lilac hair and golden eyes was walking towards Aya.  
"You might as well face it," She continued. "she's gone. The hand took my friend, too."  
Aya glanced around the passageway again, suddenly noticing that a lamp had turned on, making everything visible.  
"Will you help me find them?" Aya asked the girl.  
"I guess so. My name's Ellen by the way." She said.  
"I'm Aya," Aya smiled. "how did you get here?"  
"Just like you," Ellen moved past Aya and pressed her hand against the wall. "I fell."  
Shock pulsed through Aya. "Wait...how did you know I-"  
"I'm a witch," Ellen glanced briefly at Aya. "couldn't you tell?"  
Suddenly, a large hole appeared in the wall. Aya just stared at it.  
"Well?" Ellen sounded impatient. "Are you gonna help your friend, or what?"

Ib struggled against the hand, but she was powerless. The hand dropped her into a pale green room. A girl was sobbing in a corner of the room, her head in her hands.

"Hello?" Ib said cautiously. The girl looked up. She was very pretty, Ib thought, with big green eyes and golden hair tied into two messy braids.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, crawling over to Ib. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ib." Ib replied. Then she remembered the green rose. "Is this yours?" She inquired, showing the girl the green rose.

"I guess. I didn't know I was supposed to take that one."

Ib noticed a lilac rose lying in the middle of the room. "Whose rose is that?"

"I don't know. It's so pretty, I just had to have it."

Ib was about to reply when Aya and a lilac-haired girl tumbled into the room.

"Ellen!" The blonde girl got to her feet and ran over to help up her friend.

Aya crawled over to Ib, confusion in her blue eyes.

"Who's that?" She indicated the blonde girl.

"I don't know her name, but I think the green rose is hers. Who's her friend?"

"Ellen. She's a witch."

"Oh, I'm Viola. I forgot to mention." Said the blonde girl. She and Aya stood up at the same time and looked around.

"Where's the exit?" Aya looked worried.

"Up." Viola stared at the ceiling.

Ib looked up too and saw a trapdoor.

"But how do we get up there?" Aya stared at Viola as is she were mad.

"I don't know," Viola looked at Ellen. "Do you know any spells?"

Ellen shook her head. "None."

"What are we going to do?" Viola whispered.

_You'll be my friends forever..._

Ib clapped her hands over her ears.

"Who was that?" Viola sounded scared.

"Mary," Said Ib. "She's not evil, in case you're wondering. She just wants us to be her friends."

"Well she has a great way of showing it." Ellen muttered sarcastically.

"Is she...was she trapped in here?" Asked Viola.

"No. She's a painting." Ib glanced around the room again, searching for a secret way out, maybe. Nothing.

"Just how many of these 'paintings' want to trap us here?" Ellen raised an eyebrow.

"Well...most of them want to kill us." Ib admitted.

"Most?" Aya said. "The others?"

"I don't think they really care. Or maybe they can't move."

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Ib was thrown back against the wall, and hit her head on something hard. Everything went black.  
_Teehee..._


	2. The Lady in Red

Ellen slowly got to her feet and stared around the now bright red room. The floor was covered in rubble.  
"Viola? Aya? Ib?" She whispered. Her heart was hammering in her chest.  
"Ellen..." The witch heard a groan. "I...I'm okay...I'm over here..." It sounded like Aya.  
"Aya? Is that you?" Ellen picked her way carefully around the debris and over to Aya. Aya was lying on the ground, her leg trapped under a piece of the ceiling that had fallen down.  
"Are you okay?" Ellen knelt down and lifted the block off Aya's leg.  
"I'm fine," Aya replied. "where are the others?"  
"I don't know. I think-" She was interupted as she noticed a small movement over by the door she and Aya had toppled through. Ellen helped Aya up and they made their way slowly over to the pile of rubble.  
"Hello?" Ellen and Aya said simultaniously.  
"Ugh...Ellen...hhh..." Ellen recognised Viola's voice.  
"Aya! Help me move the blocks of concrete off her!"  
Aya did as she was told. Together they managed to move all of the blocks off Viola.  
"Viola?" Aya whispered.  
"A..ya?" Viola sat up and blinked. "What happened?"  
"There was an explosion of some sort," Aya told her. "it knocked us against the walls and..." Her voice trailed away. "Where's Ib?" She looked at Ellen.  
"I haven't seen her." Ellen listened for the sound of more movement, but there was nothing. It was completely silent.  
"Ib!" Aya yelled. Nothing.  
Ellen blinked hard as she stared around the room. She suddenly saw Ib, propped against a wall, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open. Blood trickled from a wound in her head.  
"Ib!" Aya rushed over to the girl. Ellen helped Viola stand up and they followed more slowly.  
Aya was crouched over Ib. "Ib! Wake up, wake up!" She turned to Viola and Ellen. "Can you get something? A piece of cloth will do."  
"I have a bit of torn fabric from my dress," Said Ellen. "Will that help?"  
Aya nodded. "Thank you." She said gratefully, pressing the piece of cloth to Ib's forehead.  
Are you sure you can help her?  
Ellen frowned. This girl had a funny way of treating her 'friends.' So do you, Ellen thought. You didn't switch bodies with Viola because you found a cure for your illness. Ellen covered her ears with her hands. She looked at Viola, who was staring at Aya fixing Ib's head injury.  
"How did you learn to do that stuff?" She asked.  
Aya looked up quickly. "My father's assisstant. She taught me how to cure things and fix wounds. I still don't like her, though." Aya frowned and turned back to Ib.  
"Wait a second...just how old are you?" Ellen asked Aya.  
"I'm eleven."  
"You sure know a lot about healing and stuff." Viola smiled. "You must be really clever."  
"Thanks," Aya smiled back at them. "but it runs in the family. My father is a doctor. He's always locked up in his basement."  
"Doesn't that worry you?"  
They all gasped.  
Ib had opened her eyes.  
"Ib! Yay!" Aya grinned.  
Ib sat up slowly, rubbing her head.  
"Uhh...what..." She sat up properly. "What the heck happened here?"  
"There was an explosion. We all got knocked back. You know the rest." Ellen told her.  
"Oh," Ib got to her feet, using the wall and Viola as supports.  
"Hey...was that there before?" Viola pointed across the room to a red door.  
"No...I don't...think so..." Aya sounded puzzled.  
"Let's go! Come on!" Viola rushed ahead of the others.  
They all followed her.  
Viola opened the door.  
"Wow! It's all red!" She gasped.  
"Oh no!" Ib exclaimed. "I know this place!"  
"What? What is it?" Aya said, panicking.  
"It's the Lady in Red! she has the key to the next room!"  
"What's so bad about a lady wearing red?" Ellen tilted her head in confusion.  
"Well...she'll chase us and hurt us if we don't get away." Ib took a few steps forward. "One of us will have to lead her away."  
"I'll do it," Ellen raised her hand. "I'm a witch, it'll be easy for me!"  
"No. We'll all do it. We need to help each other." Viola spoke now.  
"Okay...Viola and Ellen...you lead the Lady in Red away from the key, and Ib and I will get it." Aya decided for them all.  
"Let's go then!" Ellen grabbed Viola's wrist and tugged her around a statue named "Ah".  
"There she is!" Viola whispered, clutching Ellen's wrist. "The Lady in Red!"  
"Let's go," Ellen took a few brave steps forward, though inside, she was trembling.  
They got close enough to read the name of the painting.  
"Lady in Red." Viola read.  
"Nothing's happening. Let's get back to the others." Ellen spun around and started to walk away.  
Suddenly, there was a smashing sound. Ellen whipped around and saw a lady, half inside a painting, lying on the floor. She wasn't moving.  
"Umm...Ellen? Is she okay?" Viola sounded concerned., moving foward.  
"Don't touch her!" Ellen shouted.  
The Lady in Red suddenly turned her face up. She had red eyes, like Ib. In fact, they looked extremly similar.  
"Viola, run!" Ellen shouted.  
Viola turned on her heel and sprinted away.  
"Over here!"  
Ellen heard Ib shout.  
Ellen stepped backwards a bit.  
The Lady in Red followed. She was very fast, Ellen thought, as she lead the Lady away from the red key that was lying on the floor.  
"Aya, Ib, now!" Ellen yelled.  
Suddenly, Ellen dropped her lilac rose.  
The Lady in Red made a lunge for it.  
"No!" Viola screamed.  
The Lady giggled and plucked one petal from the rose. It floated gently to the floor.  
"Ouch!" Ellen stepped backwards, feeling a sharp stab of pain run through her body.  
"Loves me," the Lady said.  
She plucked another petal from the rose.  
"Loves me not,"  
"Give it back!" Aya leaped for the Lady in Red, grabbed the rose, and ran. Ellen followed, with the Lady close behind her.  
Ib was waiting at a red door, and shoved the key in the lock and turned it.  
"Get in!" She yelled.  
They all squeezed through the door, and Ib slammed it shut behind them.  
"The Ladies can't open doors on their own." Ib panted.  
"Ladies?" Viola gasped. "There are more?"  
"Yes. A lot. But I don't think we'll see them for a while yet."  
"That was terrifying!" Aya handed Ellen the lilac rose. "Be careful with that!"  
"I will," Ellen said.  
"Let's rest for a bit, then get through this door." Ib decided.  
Ellen stared around the small room. There were bookshelves all over the place.  
I remember how the cat taught me how to read.  
But the cat wasn't here right now. The cat was back at her house. Wasn't he?  
"Right...if I remember rightly...it's...this book!" Ib announced, pulling a book out from a bookcase and brushing dust off the cover.  
"Carrie Careless and the Galette des Rois?" Viola said curiously. "What's it about?"  
"You'll see," said Ib, as she began to turn the pages...


	3. The Moving Storybook

Viola was sitting in an audience.  
She looked around, and saw Ellen, Aya and Ib sitting in different seats.  
What's going on? She wondered.  
She noticed bright red cutains on a stage. They looked as if they had been drawn; in crayon, at that.  
There was a drumroll, and writing appeared on the curtains:  
'Carrie Careless and the Gallette des Rois'.  
The curtains opened, and a scene was shown of four crayon-people sitting at a table around a pie.  
Strange music started to play in the background. It sounded like one of those horror-movie moments with an evil teddy bear or a doll.  
Then, three of the people around the table spoke.  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"  
A blue-haired girl spoke:  
"Thanks, guys!"  
Then a pink-haired girl spoke:  
"For your special day...We made a Galette des Rois!"  
"What's that?" Asked the blue-haired girl.  
"There's a coin in this pie...And if you eat the slice with the coin in it...Then you'll be a happy person!"  
The pink-haired girl spoke again.  
"That sounds like fun!" The blue-haired girl jumped.  
"Doesn't it?" The pink-haired girl agreed. "Okay, let's divide it up!" She grabbed a knife.  
The curtains closed, then opened suddenly and revealed the next scene.  
The pie was in quarters.  
"Now pick the slice you want!" The pink-haired girl said.  
"Let's eat!" Everyone said.  
The curtains closed, then opened again.  
"Nom, munch." That was the sound of everyone eating.  
"Aah!" The blue-haired girl yelled.  
"What is it?" Pink-hair asked.  
"I think I just...swallowed something hard!" Blue-hair was shaking.  
"Ahaha! Oh, Carrie!" Pink-hair said.  
"It must have been the coin!" Said a boy with brown hair.  
"What do I do?" 'Carrie' sounded worried.  
"It's fine, the coin's small!" Pink-hair reassured her friend.  
The curtains closed and opened again.  
Pink-hair walked into a different room with a tall pink-haired woman pacing around.  
"What's wrong, mum?" Pink-hair asked.  
"Have you seen the key to the study?" Her mother sounded worried.  
"To the study?" Pink-hair walked to a table next to a red door. "It's always right here on this tabl...Huh? It's the coin...The coin that should've..."  
"Been put in the pie." Viola finished, realizing what had happened.  
"Could it be that..." Pink hair muttered.  
"Where could it have gone?" Her mother wondered aloud. "Oh, my dear will be so upset..." She walked out of the room.  
"What do I...do..." Pink-hair said thoughtfully.  
Suddenly, the knife on the plate fell to the floor.  
Pink-hair picked it up.  
The curtains closed, then revealed the next scene.  
"Looks like I was just as careless as Carrie..." Pink-hair walked across a room, the knife in her hand.  
The curtains closed.  
Viola had a nasty feeling about what was going to happen next.  
There was a spattering sound, then Pink-hair popped out from behind the curtain, covered in blood and clutching a key.  
"I found the keeey! I'll open the door now!"  
Viola covered her eyes in horror.  
Who would do that?  
When she opened them, she was back in the book room.  
"That was a horrible story!" She got to her feet.  
"It wasn't that bad," Aya shrugged her shoulders.  
"Eh, who cares?" Ellen copied her.  
There was a sound like a lock clicking.  
"Let's go!" Ib pushed open the door.  
They found themselves in another red room.  
Viola spotted a light blue vase sitting on a table, and hurried over to it.  
"Ellen! Put your rose here!"  
Ellen ran over and put her pretty lilac rose into the jar.  
It immediatly glowed and all of the petals were back on it.  
Viola stared at the jar, memsmerised.  
"Is it out of water?" Aya asked.  
"No," Ib answered. "The blue vases never run out of water."  
"Let's all heal our roses!" Aya put her dark blue rose inside the jar.  
Viola put her rose in, too and both roses glowed.  
"Cool!" Viola smiled.  
"Let's go this way," Ib turned right."  
"Why not try left?" Viola asked curiously.  
"The Lady in Blue's in there. She'll try and steal our roses, too."  
"Oh," Viola changed her mind immediatly and followed the others.  
They walked through the next door and down a hallway in silence, when, suddenly, a painting spat at them.  
"Don't step in that! It'll harm your rose." Ib moved around it.  
Viola stepped over it and followed Ib through the next door. They came to a small room, with one other exit. It was blocked by a headless manequin.  
"Oh no!" Aya cried.  
"How do we get past it?" Viola was worried.  
Do we have to go to the Lady in Blue now?


	4. The Blood Room

Aki sprinted past the Lady in Blue, clutching the silver rose desperately.  
"Don't you want to play too?" The Lady in Blue was dragging herself along the ground surprisingly fast.  
"No! Leave me alone!" Aki ran into a little side room and slammed the door shut.  
There was a thumping sound as the Lady in Blue tried to open the door.  
There has to be something in here!  
Aki thought, turning around the corner.  
There was nothing.  
"Argh! You're kidding me!" Aki threw her rose to the floor.  
Suddenly, the door burst open and the Lady in Blue tumbled through.  
Aki picked up her rose immediatly and dodged around the Lady in Blue and out of the room, slamming the door shut.  
"Phew!"  
Aki ran from the room and into a hallway. A light blue vase was sitting on a table not far away.  
"Huh? Can I...put my rose here?" Aki wondered aloud.  
She put her silver rose in the jar and it glowed brightly.  
Aki felt strange, as if she'd had one of those energy drinks.  
She sprinted right and through the next door, then down the next hallway.  
She stopped suddenly; she had heard voices.

"Ellen...can you use your magic to move the statue?" Aya asked.  
"I'm not sure...maybe..." Ellen closed her eyes.  
Aya noticed a pale blue outline appear around the statue, and it moved to the right.  
"Oh, wow, Ellen! I didn't know you could do that!" Viola clapped her hands together.  
Aya smiled to see the two girls getting along so well.  
She had never had a proper friend of her own.  
"Let's go!" Aya opened the door.  
The others followed her through the door, but before she left, Aya thought she heard a gasp.  
"Huh?" She whipped around.  
"What?" Ib sounded worried.  
"I heard something! I swear I did!" Aya pushed past the others and back into the room.  
Was it the headless mannequin?  
Aya heard footsteps, rapidly fading away.  
"Wait! Who are you?" Aya flung the door open and saw a girl by the blue vase.  
"Please...don't take my rose!" The girl pleaded.  
"It's okay! I don't want to hurt you!" Aya moved towards the girl.  
"Who are you?"  
"I'm Aki. Are you stuck in this...place...too?"  
"Yeah. I fell through a painting."  
"Oh! I was visiting a gallery with my class...then the lights flickered, and I went down a new staircase. It brought me to that room over there..." She pointed to the door to the left.  
"Then I was chased by a woman called the "Lady in Blue"."  
"Well...we're about to move to the next area...do you want to join us?" Aya offered.  
"Umm...okay! If it means more help." Aki nodded, her two brown ponytails bobbing.  
Aya led the girl along the hallway and through the two doors, where the others were waiting.  
"Hey guys, this is Aki. I found her by the "Lady in Blue" room." Aya told them.  
"Another one to help us!" Ellen smiled.  
"It's nice to meet you!" Viola hugged Aki. "You must have been so scared!"  
"I was," Aki replied. "but I'm okay now. It was only a "Lady in Blue", after all!" She giggled nervously.  
"Should we move on?" Aya asked.  
"Sure. But we have to be careful, you never know what's up ahead." Ib warned.  
She pushed open the grey door and came into a grey square-shaped room.  
Aya noticed two hands sticking out of the ground.  
"What...are those?" Aya asked.  
"Hands. We need to put a ring on the bride's ring finger." Ib explained. "Does anyone have one?" She asked.  
"No, I don't, but I have a flower ring. Will that work?" Viola pulled a small, ring-shaped chain of daisies from a pocket in her dress.  
"No, but Viola, thank you! You've just helped us get to the next area without going through everything I had to!" Ib hugged Viola, who looked quite surprised.  
"I did?" She said.  
"Yes! All we need to do is give a painting some flowers, and he'll let us through!" Ib grinned, as Aki lead the way down the hallway into the next room.  
It was also grey, and Aya stared around it, wondering how Ib knew her way around here.  
"Somethings's not right...there's an extra door!" Ib pointed to a pale pink door with a flower on the front of it.  
"Um...I don't like the look of that place..." Aya said, worried. "It's too pink and friendly-looking. Would we be safe?" She turned to Ib, who seemed to be their unofficial leader.  
"I say let's go for it," she looked at Aya anxiously. "There's nothing else to do but go ahead, and I don't exactly want to...this might be an alternate route."  
"Then let's go!" Ellen said impatiently, already halfway to the door.

Aki followed Ellen to the door.  
Ib seems to know a lot about this place. Has she been here before?  
She thought.  
"Hey guys, what are those?" She suddenly noticed a bunch of lines on the floor.  
"Eyes," Ib told them all. "They'll open if we go near them."  
"Will they hurt us?" Viola asked fearfully.  
"I'd like to see them try," Ellen glared at the eyes.  
"Let's just go through the door!" Aki pushed it open, then screamed.  
Right in front of her, blood tricking from a wound in her stomach, was a girl.  
She had long brown hair in two braids, and clutched a black rose.  
"Who...who is that?" Viola hid behind Aki.  
"It's...she looks about my age!" Aki realised.  
"Which is...?" Ellen faced her.  
"Fifteen. I think this girl might be fifteen." Aki said.  
"So?" Ellen raised her eyebrows.  
"She might be able to help as a lot more than a five-year-old!" Aki replied.  
"Yeah, I guess. But what if she doesn't? What then?" Ellen inquired.  
"She can still come with us, we won't leave anyone behind, no matter how sorry we feel for Mary." Ib answered.  
"Can we just find a vase, wake this girl up and leave? I don't like it here!" Aya spoke up finally.  
"I agree; the walls are starting to scare me," Viola stared at the walls.  
"There's nothing wrong with them!" Aki blinked and blinked, but all she saw was light pink.  
"Can't you guys see it...?" Viola's voice trailed off as she looked around and saw the others shaking their heads.  
"What can you see, Viola?" Ellen asked, staring at the girl as if she had gone mad.  
"It's covered in blood...blood...everywhere!" Viola gasped, staring at the floor. "What is up with this room?"  
"I don't know, but I say we find a vase and get out of here. I don't like it either." Aki couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched by someone.  
"I can see a black vase over there," Aya pointed to the other side of the room.  
"Then we have to get this girl's rose over to it. It only has enough water for one rose to be healed." Ib plucked the rose from the girls hand and carried it gently over to the vase.  
Aki waited for Ib to return.  
When she did, the black rose was looking healthier, and the girl on the floor started to stir.  
"Huh...what happened...?" She said weakly, opening her eyes.  
They were red, like Ib's.  
"Wh...who are you?" She sat up quite quickly, and stared at the others.  
"It's okay," Viola said kindly. "We're here to help you."  
"Here's your rose, by the way," Ib gave the girl the rose and stood next to Ellen.  
"Are you guys trapped in here too?" She asked.  
"Yes. We're all trying to escape," Ellen told her.  
"You're gonna come with us, aren't you?" Aki asked.  
"Sure...I guess," she said Viola helped her to her feet.  
"Then let's get out of here. Whatever attacked you can't be far." Ellen tryed to open the door, but it was locked. "Huh?" She muttered. "Since when did we lock this door?" She sounded puzzled.  
"I...don't think we did..." Aya said, shoving herself against it.  
It didn't budge.  
"Is there another way out of here?" Viola asked the girl urgently.  
"Yeah...it's that way," She indicated a pale pink door to the right Aki hadn't noticed before.  
"It's covered in blood, too!" Viola covered her eyes.  
"Yeah, it is," The girl said. "Should we go through it?"  
"Of course! There's no other way out!" Ellen said in surprise.  
"So let's go!" Aki opened the door and stepped into the next room.  
It was covered in blood.  
"Just like the last room!" Viola gasped.


	5. The Shadow

"I say we go back to the grey room." Aki said, backing away from the blood-stained walls.

"I don't like the look of this place at all!" Ib grabbed Viola's hand and dragged her away; she was frozen in horror.

_What is this place?_ She thought, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Let's leave, I agree," Ellen sounded worried for her friend. "Viola's not dealing with this well."

They all tip-toed out of the room, expecting something to jump out at them, but nothing did.

"So what's your name?" Viola asked the girl with the black rose, relieved for an excuse to talk about something else.

"Madotsuki. I was dragged through a painting by someone called the "Lady in Red". Is she here?" Madotsuki whispered.

"Yes, she is."

Viola tried the door back to the grey area, and found it was unlocked again.

"How strange," She murmured.

They all walked slowly back to the grey area. Ib was leading them to the painting that would let them through.

"Okay, Viola, give him the flower ring."

Viola threw the ring at the painting. It caught it in it's mouth and turned red.

"Eheheheheh...thanks...you can pass now...eheheheheh!" He swung open and everyone hopped through.

"Um...this bit...may take a while...and everyone be very very careful." Said Ib nervously, walking down a long hallway.

It was only halfway down the hall that Viola noticed there were mannequin heads flanking the sides of the corridor.

"What are they doing there?" Viola asked fearfully.

"I don't know," Ib ignored the mannequin heads completely and continued walking.

Viola followed slowly, hanging back a bit. She was terrified of what might happen next.

Ellen followed Ib and Aya, who were leading the way down the hallway and into the next room.

She held the door open for Viola and Madotsuki, who were at the back of the group of girls.

Viola smiled at her as she passed, then looked forward and screamed.

Ellen turned to see what she was looking at, then nearly screamed herself.

In front of her was a wall, but when Ellen looked left, she saw an awfully familiar painting.

It was the Lady in Red.

"Oh no, not now!" Aya exclaimed.

Ellen backed away to the right and bumped into Madotsuki.

"Sorry," she turned to face the girl, but she was gone.

"Huh? Madotsuki?" Ellen tapped Aki on the back. "Aki, have you seen where Madotsuki went?"

Aki shook her head. "I thought she was right behind you!"

"I'll go look for her," Ellen walked away from the rest of the group, who started talking about how to get through this strange room.

"Madotsuki?" Ellen called.

Nothing.

_Where did she go?_

"_Ellen! _Help!"

Ellen whipped around.

She saw Madotsuki being dragged away by another Lady in Red.

"Madotsuki!" Ellen cried, running forward.

Ellen rushed forward and grabbed Madotsuki's hand, dragging her out of the Lady in Red's grip.

"My rose! Ellen, my rose is gone!" Madotsuki was too weak to get up.

"I'll go get it, don't worry," Ellen sprinted after the Lady in Red.

"Give it back!" Ellen yelled at her.

"No, it's mine now," The Lady in Red backed against a door, but it was locked.

"Why do you want it?" Ellen asked aggressively.

"So I can play. Do you want to play, too?" She giggled.

Ellen ran up to the Lady in Red and slapped the rose away from her hand.

She grabbed it and ran and ran back to Madotsuki, who way still lying on the ground.

"Madotsuki, I have your rose!" Ellen called, handing her the black rose.

"Thanks, Ellen," Madotsuki said weakly. "Can you move me over there?" She indicated a door at the bottom of the room.

"Sure," Ellen used her magic to open the door and move Madotsuki into the room.

"Ellen! Wait!"

Ellen heard Ib shout.

Ellen turned around and saw everyone running towards her rapidly.

"Where are you going?" Aki inquired.

"That room wasn't there last time..." Ib muttered.

"Madotsuki's injured. I think there's a vase in there." Ellen showed the others the room.

"Well...at least it's not like the blood room..." Viola's voice trailed off as she followed Ellen into the room.  
It was quite small, but there was a vase in there. Ellen put Madotsuki's rose in the vase, and the girl got to her feet, and walked around, staring at the walls.

"Guys," After a while, Madotsuki ran back towards them. "I found another way out of here!"

"Where?" Ib looked around wildly.

"It's over there, but it's the same colour as the wall. It's really hard to find." Madotsuki pointed to the left.

"Should we rest here for a bit then get going?" Aya asked.

Ellen nodded, along with the others.

"Okay, we'll rest then go through the door." Ib agreed as well.

That was when Ellen saw it.

"Did you see that?" Ellen whipped around to face the others.

"See what?" Viola asked, puzzled.

"A shadow outside that window!" Ellen exclaimed.

"That window wasn't there before..." Ib frowned.

_Then what was that shadow?_


	6. Separation

Ib stared at Ellen. What had she seen?

"So should we go out the door and see what the shadow was?" Aya asked.

"I'll go with Viola. You guys stay here." Ib offered, leading Viola out of the room.

They exited the room.

Ib turned left. Just as she turned, she saw the tiniest flash of blonde hair and a green dress.

_Mary._

Ib ran around the corner, but just came to one of the Ladies in Red trying to open a door.

Ib tip-toed away past the Lady in Green and the Lady in Yellow, who were still stuck on the wall, and back to the entrance of the room.

Then she saw that Viola was lying on the ground, blood running from a wound in her head.

"Uh...Ib...help me..." She gasped.

"VIOLA!"

Ib heard a scream from the room as Ellen crashed out the door.

"It's okay, she'll be fine," Ib told her.

"No, she's not fine! We need to get her rose to a vase!" Ellen's voice was high with fear.

"It's her that's injured, her rose is fine," Aki picked up Viola's grass-green rose.

"No, it's not." Madotsuki whispered. "It's covered in blood."

"Is it? I can't see anything." Aki muttered.

"Put it in the vase!" Aya urged.

"There's no water left though." Ib remembered.

"Yes there is. I didn't use all of it for my rose." Madotsuki told them.

"Put it in the vase then!" Ellen shouted.

Aki ran inside the room.

A few moments later, she came out.

The rose was no longer covered in blood. It was glowing softly.

"Viola?" Ellen murmured. "Viola, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Viola's eyelids flickered.

Ib let out a breath of relief.

"So should we go through the door now?" She asked the others.

"Yeah, oka-" Madotsuki began, but she was cut off by Ellen.

"No. I'm not going. You're plan nearly got my best friend killed by a crazy painting with a knife!"

"How do you know she's a painting?" Aya asked.

"What else would she be, a pig?" Ellen snapped.

"Look, how about Aki, Aya and I go and explore the next area, and you and Viola stay here?" Ib said gently.

"No!" Ellen said fiercely.

Aki opened the door to the room. Everyone went inside.

"Why not?" Aya said curiously.

"Because I don't want to go through with Ib's plans!" She yelled.

"Fine then, leave!" Ib shouted back.

"Okay then, I will!" Ellen yanked the door open and stalked out, her light purple hair nearly whipping Aki in the face.

"Viola, are you going?" Madotsuki asked her.

"Well...Ellen is my best friend..." She looked nervously around at everyone. "So...yes. I'll go. I hope we'll see you later on, once Ellen's calmed down." Viola smiled at the rest of them before exiting after her friend.

Madotsuki didn't know what to do.

She wanted to go with Ellen, because she seemed powerful, but Ib knew her way around the haunted gallery, and Aki and Aya would be going with her.

"Madotsuki, will you come with us?" Aya asked.

"Um...okay." Madotsuki decided, nodding.

"Then let's go." Ib found the other door and pulled it open.

Madotsuki walked silently behind the others, who were chatting away about Ellen and Viola.

_Will they be okay, with all of those Ladies paintings?_ Madotsuki wondered.

The group came to a long, green hallway.

"What is this place?" Aki said.

"It's a hallway...but it might be loaded with traps, so be careful." Ib said.

Madotsuki stepped in front of the others. "I'll go first," She said. "I'm not being brave, I just don't want you all to risk your lives for me again."

"Again?" Aya frowned "When did we save you in the first place?"

"You helped me out of the blood room." Madotsuki told them.

"You're welcome, Mado!" Aki grinned at her.

_Great._ That _nickname._

Madotsuki smiled back and wandered down the long hallway.

"Be careful!" Aya called.

Madotsuki nodded and continued down the hallway.

She didn't notice any traps, but she saw a dark figure pass outside a window.

She looked again and it was pitch-black outside.

_That's not good. _

Then Madotsuki spotted something at the end of the hallway. It was a table, on which a book sat. A dark blue book with a quill next to it.

"Huh?" She murmured, running down the hallway to get to it.

She looked right and left and saw only a passageway to the right. It lead to a staircase.

"GUYS!" Madotsuki yelled down the hallway. "I found something!"

The others raced down the hallway, not noticing the window, and over to where Madotsuki stood by the book and quill.

"What's this?" Aya picked it up and opened it to the first page.

"It's...someone else's account of what happened here..." Ib realized, watching them read it.

Madotsuki leaned over Aya's shoulder to read the book, while Aki and Ib watched them.

Aya began to read aloud:

"This place...has many many secrets. It's so wonderful! Sometimes I walk down one hallway expecting to find a certain room, but instead I find another!

Sometimes I play "Loves me, loves me not" with the Ladies and Mary. It's such fun! But it does get lonely, even with Mary, who looks the most human of all of us.

And then the dolls play with us too, but they don't do much.

I made up a story today. It was about a girl who got lost in here and was unable to find her way out, so she stayed with us. Forever! I can only wish it would come true, though...won't somebody come? Please..."

Aya stopped reading and closed the book. "That's all there is. I think the person who wrote in this might be nearby. Let's be careful."

"So, should we go up those stairs?" Aki asked.

"Yes. It might be another way out of here." Madotsuki decided, ascending the stairs.

They walked in silence, until they reached the top, where they came to a grey passageway.

"This is it!" Ib said excitedly. "This is another way past the Ladies room!"

"What about Viola and Ellen...?" Aki whispered.

"They...I don't know...they could be anywhere." Ib admitted.

"They could be trapped, or lost!" Madotsuki didn't finish the sentence. The fact that they could be dead was too horrible to imagine.

"Let's go in here," Aki indicated a dark grey door above a set of stairs.

They all crowded inside the room, and got such a shock when they saw Viola and Ellen standing at the back of it.

"Ellen! Viola!" Aki exclaimed, running up to them and hugging them.

"We were so worried about you!" Ib had forgotten all about her argument with Ellen.

Aki pulled back and stared around the room.

"It seems safe in here," Ellen said.

"For now." Aya added darkly.

"Oh, when we went through that door, we found this," Aki showed Viola and Ellen the book.

"Who wrote it?" Viola asked.

"We don't know. It's definitely a painting, and a painting like Mary, at that." Ib told them.

"Who's Mary?" Asked Madotsuki.

"A painting of a lifelike girl who wants to trap us here so we can be her friends. I though I burnt her but...obviously not." Ib sounded puzzled.

"Why would you burn someone?!" Asked Viola in shock.

"She was a threat. She would've killed me if I didn't."

"So...are any of you injured?" Aya asked Ellen and Viola.

"Only Ellen," Viola said. "A headless mannequin ripped a few petals off her rose. But she's already used the vase. There's no water left in it."

Aki glanced at Ellen's rose. It was lilac, like her hair.

"I've never seen any roses coloured like that before," Aki pointed to the rose.

"I haven't seen any silver roses, either." Ellen retorted, obviously still a bit rattled from her and Ib's fight.

"Has anyone ever seen a blue rose before?" Asked Aya.

"I have," Ib replied. "When I was trapped here before I was with a man called Garry. He had a blue rose, and he escaped with me."

"So where is he now?" Madotsuki asked.

Ib shrugged. "Somewhere in the real world. I was at a cafe with him when I was suddenly transported to Aya's room. That was how we got here." She told them all.

"The same thing happened to me and Viola," Ellen began. "She was over at my house, then suddenly, she toppled backwards into one of the paintings in my hallway."

"So all of our paintings are connected...?" Madotsuki wondered.

"Not mine. I went to a gallery with my class." Aki said.

"But they're still linked," Viola said.

"Yeah, they must all be by Weiss Guertena." Said Ib.

"Hey...what's that painting of?" Aki pointed to the painting behind Viola called "Couple".

Ib walked forward to stand by it. "That painting is of my parents." She said.


	7. Milk Puzzle

Mary walked down the hallway, swinging her pallete knife in her hand.

She started humming a song she had made up to herself as the stalked past the Ladies paintings.

She opened the door to the small room then walked down the long green hallway.

She came to the table and saw that the book was gone.

"Huh? Who stole my friend's book?" She said in confusion.

_Where could it be? _

Mary was worried. Her friend would be furious.

She decided to find her "friends" and ask them.

Mary started humming again as she walked up the stairs.

She came to the dark grey door and knocked on it.

"Hello?"

She heard a familiar voice.

"Ib!" Mary burst through the door and hugged her old friend.

"Mary! What are you doing here?" Ib asked.

"I lost a book. Have you guys seen it?" Mary said, letting go of Ib.

"Get away from us!" Aki yelled.

"Ib told us all about you!" Aya added.

Mary backed away from them, forgetting that she had trapped them in a room and tried to harm them.

"I...I'm sorry," she said. "I was angry when I made my friend make that room cave in. I didn't mean to hurt you. Well, I did, but I wasn't thinking, honestly." Mary widened her big blue eyes.

"I think we should give her the book." Viola said quietly.

"Oh, come on, Viola! You always see the best in people!" Ellen snapped.

Mary's eyes filled with tears and she ran out the room.

_Why does no one trust me?_

She sprinted down the stairs, through the many doors and rooms and got to her room.

A drawing of a mannequin head lay on an easel.

Mary grabbed it and ripped it up in rage.

_I swear, I will get you. All of you._

"Where are we now?" Aya asked.

"Indigo area. Be careful, and whatever you do, don't go into that maze." Ib said, pointing to a roped-off area.

"There are headless mannequins in there." Viola whispered.

"Don't worry, Viola. We won't go near that place." Ellen comforted her friend.

"Let's try to keep moving," Ib said, rounding the corner.

Aya followed her, casting one last glance at the headless mannequins.

She was sure she saw one of them move, so she quickened her pace, catching up with Ib.

"A milk puzzle," Ib muttered, walking over to a white painting.

"What's that?" Aki asked.

"A milk puzzle," replied Ellen. "Is like a jigsaw puzzle, but there's no picture at the end. I've only ever read about them."

"Yeah, only smart people can solve them," Ib added.

"Well...Let's keep going. I don't like this place at all." Aya moved towards a desk.

A vase and two pages were sitting on it.

"More pages of the diary?" Aya wondered aloud, picking them up.

"Read them!" Madotsuki urged.

"Okay..." Aya muttered.

"I saw two girls today. Through a painting in a room. I grabbed one of them, and pulled her down here to be with us. The other one, I don't know how she got here. She may have jumped after her friend.

"Mary found two other girls, and trapped one of them in a room so the other could be her friend. The four girls met up. I didn't like it, so I made the room explode.

"One of them was injured. A girl with a dark blue rose helped her, and I made a door appear to the next room. The Lady in Red can have them."

"This was from a while ago..." Ib murmured, slotting the pages into the main diary she was holding. "I wonder who wrote it? Another human-like painting, I suppose..." Her voice trailed off as the six of them set off again.

"Don't bother going in there," Ib pointed to a door just before the end of the hallway. "It's locked for now."

"Then we have to go down here...?" Viola asked.

"Yes. Ellen, we're gonna have to move another statue. Are you up to it?"

"Of course!" Ellen snapped. "I'm not weak!"

She pushed past them, and into the room.

"I'll pull the cord first." Ib followed Ellen, while the others waited outside.

After a while, a call came from the room.

"Guys, I unlocked the door!" Ellen poked her head around the door. "Let's go."

Aya followed her in and out of the room.

They found themselves back in the first corridor.

Ib was examining writing on a wall.

"Abyss of the Deep, remember that." She told them, without an explanation. "Come on,"

They ran back around the corner and to the locked door.

"Abyss of the Deep," Ib said to the door.

"I heard a sound!" Aki said.

"Me too," Madotsuki and Aya spoke at the same time.

"Let's go. But be careful. It's dark in here." Ib said.

"I think I'll wait outside," Viola said.

"Me too," Aki added. "Anyone else?"

"I will." Madotsuki said.

Aya, Ellen and Ib walked slowly inside the door.

"Separation," Ellen read the title of the painting. "that's what happened to us before. Let's be careful, guys. This place doesn't sound good."

Suddenly, the lights went out.

"Argh!" Aya yelled. "Does anyone have any form of light?"

"My magic," Ellen said.

"Use it!" Ib said fiercely.

The room was soon filled with light.

"Are you guys okay?" Ellen asked.

"Yes." Ib said.

"I'm fine." Aya muttered, still shaken.

They met up with the others outside.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" Viola asked.

"We're fine, nothing happened. What about you guys?" Aya decided not to mention the lights going out.

"The lights flickered, and I heard footsteps, but nothing else happened." Madotsuki whispered.

"Guys," Aki sounded urgent. "Look at this,"

Aya and the others ran over to her. She was staring at the desk.

There was no longer water in the vase, it was filled with blood.

And there was another page on the table.

Ib grabbed it and read it aloud:

"Why can I not escape? This angers me. Or...could it be...Mary and I..."

Ib paused. "I can't read this. It's all blurred."

"I'll read it," Ellen said, gently taking it from her. "Mary and I...No! You cannot go in there! Stay out! I turned the lights off in the room. Then I ran. The others did not see me, they did not hear me. They didn't know I was there until the lights flickered...I must go...they're coming."

Aya gasped. "This...painting...turned the lights off?"

"Yes. I did."

They all whipped around and saw a girl standing there.

A girl with black hair and yellow eyes.

"I know you..." Aki said. "Misao."


	8. Flowers of Jealousy

"How did you get here?" Aki asked.

"I've been here a while. I fell through a painting at school, in the dorms. I ended up here. Mary found me, and she wanted to be my friend. She's the only person who's ever liked me." Said Misao sadly.

"Misao...I want to be your friend..." Aki whispered.

"It's too late!" Misao's eyes were suddenly filled with rage. "Yoshino hates me, Kudoh hates me! Tohma...and Saotome...were messing with me! I hate them all! I'm happier here!"

"Misao...please..." Aki said.

"Shut up! You don't know me! Being here, with Mary, made me feel loved! It made me feel special! You'll never understand what I went through, Aki!"

And with that, Misao turned and ran down the corridor, through a gap in the wall that hadn't been there before.

Madotsuki watched them with wide eyes.

_Aki and Misao?_

Madotsuki shook her head. It wasn't her problem.

"Aki, leave her," Viola said gently, laying her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Misao never stood out much at school...I thought she was simple, shy and gentle...I was wrong..." Aki shoulders shook as she sobbed. "She was bullied. Yoshino had no reason to hate her. She often cornered her in between classes...and I did nothing to stop it. I could have saved Misao...if I had only been her friend...Misao, I'm sorry..." Aki shrugged Viola's hand off her shoulder and ran after Misao.

"Aki!" Ib yelled.

Aki didn't turn around.

"Aki, come back!" Madotsuki started to run after her.

Aki rounded a corner, past a vase and up some stairs.

She ran up to a door, but it was locked.

"Misao!" She yelled, then whipped around and saw Madotsuki.

"Mado..." She whispered. "What are you doing here...?"

"I followed you. Aki, Misao's gone. You can't save her. She's a painting now." Madotsuki said.

"You mean...it's true? Her heart is fabricated?" Aki's eyes glistened with tears.

"I'm sorry, Aki. There's no saving her now. She's stuck in here forever."

"Misao...all alone with Mary..." Aki's head dropped.

Madotsuki hugged Aki, as the others came running around the corner.

"Aki!" Aya's eyes were filled with relief.

They heard a sound.

"What was that?" Ellen turned to the left.

"I can hear it coming closer..." Aya walked towards a painting on the wall.

"Flowers of Jealousy..." She read.

"Aya!" Viola rushed over and pushed Aya away from the painting. "The sound's coming from there!"

"Guys! Get away from there! Come back over here!" Ib shouted, running over to pull them over.

As soon as she stepped past the painting, huge vines shot up from the ground.

"Aya! Ib! Viola!" Madotsuki called, running over to the vines.

"It's no use," Ib yelled. "They're made of stone!"

"Viola! Wait there, I'll get to you!" Ellen concentrated on the vines, but nothing happened.

"My magic's not working!" She said frustratedly.

"Guys...we'll have to leave them." Madotsuki said.

"No. The other door's locked. I'll get the key, and give it to you. Viola, Aya, wait here. I'll be five minutes." Ib said.

"Be careful." Aki murmured.

Ib slowly walked towards the door.

_I hate this room._  
It still scared her, the sight of the dolls.  
Especially after what they did to Garry.

"Ugh..."

They were everywhere. But she knew where to look this time.

Ib ignored the "Red Eyes" painting on the far wall, and headed straight for the only green doll in the room.

She tore open it's stomach, grabbed the violet key and ran back out of the room.

She felt the eyes of the dolls on the back of her neck as she left.

"I got the key," Ib said, pushing the door open.

"Oh, you're okay!" Viola rushed towards Ib, gently taking the key from her.

she notcied Ib's eyes had a haunted look in them. "What really happened in that room?" Viola whispered.

"Dolls. Disturbing dolls. Everywhere. I knew they were there, I saw them as rabbits last time, but I have seen them. I hate them."

"It's okay," Viola reasurred her. "You won't have to go in there again."

"We will, but we'll all be together. It's horrible alone."

Viola put one arm around Ib's shoulders and led her back to Aya.

"Here's the key!" Viola called, throwing the key over the tall vines.

"Thanks," She heard someone catch it.

"Let's go,"

That was Ellen.

"Ellen! Don't go!" She said desperately.

"I have to, Viola. I'll see you soon, I promise." Ellen murmured.

"Goodbye," Viola turned away from the vines, and back to Ib and Aya.

"Should we go?" Aya asked.

"Yes." Ib took a deep breath. "Let's go."


	9. The Second Knife

Ellen walked ahead of Aki and Madotsuki.  
After the Flowers of Jealousy had separated her from Viola, all she been able to do was worry.  
_Please let her be safe._  
She never wanted Viola to get hurt.  
Viola was the only one who had ever loved Ellen.  
Ellen turned the key in the lock and the door swung open.  
Inside was a small brown room with boxes littering the floor.  
"Should we look in any of these?" Madotsuki asked.  
"Um...okay." Ellen decided.  
She walked around a pile of them, past a headless statue and to an open box.  
"Madotsuki, you check the box by the entrance, Aki you check that box over there by the mannequin."  
"'Kay." Aki still wasn't speaking much after Misao had run from her.  
Ellen opened the box a bit more and rummaged through it.  
"Ouch!" Something sharp had pricked her hand. She drew it back immediatly.  
"You okay?" Asked Madotsuki.  
"Fine." Ellen replied, searching for whatever had cut her hand.  
_Aha!_  
Ellen pulled it out of the box.  
In her hand was a small palette knife.  
_Mary was holding one like this!_  
Ellen grinned to herself as she slipped the knife into her pocket, carefully not letting it touch her rose.  
"Found anything?" She called.  
"Just a bunch of dry palettes," Aki replied.  
"I found a palette knife," Ellen told them. "What about you, Mado?"  
"Nothing." Madotsuki said, getting to her feet and joining Ellen by the box.  
"What about that one?" Aki pointed to the last open box at the bottom of the room.  
"We'll leave that one," Ellen said. "I don't want to stay in here too long. Let's get back to the others."  
Suddenly, the lights flickered. Ellen heard something that sounded like a rock being dragged along the ground.  
"Guys, let's get out of here!" Madotsuki ran for the exit, Aki and Ellen following slowly.  
"There's a mannequin blocking the door!" She cried.  
"No problem," Ellen said, gently pushing her out of the way.  
But when she had moved the mannequin, she found that there was no door there.  
"Huh? Where'd it go?" Aki spun around, looking for the exit.  
"We'll have to go through that door," Ellen pointed to the brown door next to a headless mannequin.  
"We can't leave them!" Madotsuki said.  
"They'll be fine, Mado. We have to go ahead. There's nowhere else to go." Aki muttered.  
Ellen slowly tip-toed towards the door.  
_Please let this room be safe!_

"Weren't we gonna go?" Aya asked.  
"Not yet. We'll wait for the others to return." Ib replied.  
"Where are they?" Viola had started to pace the room.  
"They'll be back, I'm sure!" Aya said.  
"Guys...did you here that?" Ib hissed.  
"It sounded like something being dragged across the floor!" Viola whispered.  
"That would've been a mannequin. I was trapped in that room the first time I came here." Ib murmured.  
"How are they going to get out?" Viola covered her mouth with her hands.  
"They'll be fine," Ib said. "there's another exit. We'll have to meet up later." She swallowed nervously. "We'll have to go in there again..."  
"But...you said there were evil dolls in there!" Viola gasped.  
"Dolls? Oh, no!" Aya muttered.  
Ib leaned against a wall. "As long as we're careful, they won't harm us. But don't touch anything." She said firmly.  
"O...okay..." Viola nodded. "We'll go."  
"Thanks for sticking with me," Ib said.  
"Why wouldn't we? You're our friend!" Aya said, giggling.  
"Yeah...but look at Mary...we're her "friends"." Ib added.  
"I feel sorry for her. She just doesn't want to be alone!" Viola said.  
Ib opened the door to the room, not hearing Aya's reply as she slowly stepped through into the doll room.

Mary watched them from afar as they slowly opened the door to the brown area.  
_As long as they're not together, they won't escape!_  
She opened the invisible door they hadn't noticed on the side of the wall and walked down the short, dark corridor.  
"Misao?" She called. "Are you there?"  
Nothing.  
_Oh well, she'll be back._  
Mary shrugged and continued walking, around a corner and to another door.  
She opened it, knowing where it led to.  
Pages of Misao's diary were lying on the floor.  
Mary picked them all up, folded them, and stuffed them into her pocket.  
She was the one leaving parts of Misao's diary around the place.  
The others could learn more about how they were so lonely, and feel sorry for them.  
_They'll want to stay with us forever!_  
Mary grinned to herself as she exited the room, then ran back down the corridor to the Flowers of Jealousy.  
Everyone had left.  
They had been split up.  
The Flowers allowed her to pass.  
After all, she was the new boss of this place.  
She was the one who ran everything.  
But only since Guertena had died.  
Mary crept through to the doll room quietly, and saw them standing by a bookshelf.  
She carefully placed the diary pages in one of the dolls' hands and ran rapidly out of the room.  
_How did they not see me?_  
Mary felt slightly disappointed, but then, they were probably mesmerized by the books.  
There were some good ones there.  
And she'd heard that Ib loved reading.  
Mary hummed to herself again, pulling the palette knife out of her pocket.  
_Wait 'till they see what's written there!_


End file.
